--- title: Tutankhamun Had a Clubfoot and His Parents Were Probably Siblings description: A virtual autopsy conducted as part of a documentary on the Egyptian king finds that he had genetic disorders resulting from inbreeding canonical: https://time.com/3530474/tutankhamun-clubfoot-parents-incest-genetics/ author: Rishi Iyengar article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-22T07:06:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:56:12.360Z article:section: History og:title: New Theory on Tutankhamun's Death og:description: The pharaoah was inbred resulting in genetic disorders, research suggests. og:url: https://time.com/3530474/tutankhamun-clubfoot-parents-incest-genetics/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb553a28d8105d2a/69876232cd684869c70973fc/king_tutankhamen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5310 og:image:height: 2987 og:image:alt: EGYPT-ARCHAEOLOGY-MUSEUM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New Theory on Tutankhamun's Death twitter:description: The pharaoah was inbred resulting in genetic disorders, research suggests. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb553a28d8105d2a/69876232cd684869c70973fc/king_tutankhamen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tutankhamun Had a Clubfoot and His Parents Were Probably Siblings by [Rishi Iyengar](https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Oct 22, 2014 7:06 AM UTC  A picture taken on Sept. 30, 2013, shows a statue of the 18th Dynasty King Tutankhamun displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo A picture taken on Sept. 30, 2013, shows a statue of the 18th Dynasty King Tutankhamun displayed at the Egyptian Museum in CairoMahmoud Khaled—AFP/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Oct 22, 2014 7:06 AM UTC Tutankhamun was afflicted with [severe genetic disorders](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/king-tutankhamun-did-not-die-in-chariot-crash-virtual-autopsy-reveals-9806586.html), most likely because of inbreeding, according to an upcoming documentary on the legendary pharaoh. The Egyptian king, who ruled from 1332 B.C. to 1323 B.C., is [believed](http://science.time.com/2013/11/04/study-tutankhamen-died-on-his-knees-then-his-body-spontaneously-combusted/) to have died at age 19 after medical complications following a leg fracture in a chariot accident. However, a recently conducted “virtual autopsy” revealed that he had a clubfoot that would have made riding a chariot close to impossible, according to the _Independent_. “It was important to look at his ability to ride on a chariot and we concluded it would not be possible for him, especially with his partially clubbed foot, as he was unable to stand unaided,” said Professor Albert Zink, head of Italy’s Institute for Mummies and Icemen. However, Zink made it clear that a lot of research has yet to be done. A simultaneously conducted genetic analysis of Tutankhamun’s family also revealed that his parents might have been brother and sister, resulting in genetic impairments that, Zink says, may have weakened him and contributed to his death. There were 130 walking sticks discovered in his tomb. The new research is part of a BBC [documentary](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n6scp) called _Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered_, which will air on Oct. 26. _Read next:_ [_Facebook Reveals How Common It Is For Siblings to Have The Same First Initial_](http://time.com/3378759/facebook-data-siblings-names/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3530474/tutankhamun-clubfoot-parents-incest-genetics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3530474/tutankhamun-clubfoot-parents-incest-genetics/"},"headline":"Tutankhamun Had a Clubfoot and His Parents Were Probably Siblings","datePublished":"2014-10-22T07:06:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:56:12.360Z","description":"A \"virtual autopsy\" conducted on the Egyptian king reveals that he had several genetic disorders","url":"https://time.com/3530474/tutankhamun-clubfoot-parents-incest-genetics/","keywords":["Egypt","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb553a28d8105d2a/69876232cd684869c70973fc/king_tutankhamen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb553a28d8105d2a/69876232cd684869c70973fc/king_tutankhamen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"EGYPT-ARCHAEOLOGY-MUSEUM","caption":"EGYPT-ARCHAEOLOGY-MUSEUM","creditText":"Mahmoud Khaled—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3530474/tutankhamun-clubfoot-parents-incest-genetics/","name":"Tutankhamun Had a Clubfoot and His Parents Were Probably Siblings"}}]}] ```